March 7: A highlight of this 2-hour field trip occurred before it even started: an adult Bald Eagle skimmed the surface of the bay and caught a surf smelt in each of its talons. The trip itself, with 16 attendees, commenced at the marina.  Several Bufflehead were there, along with a pair of Pied-billed Grebes. A Belted Kingfisher dove a couple of times from the railing of a sailboat. Other waterbirds included Pelagic and Double-crested Cormorants, Red-breasted Mergansers, Canada Geese, and Pigeon Guillemots.

Of course, birds and plants go together better than just about anything. Last month Whidbey Audubon joined up with the WSU Master Gardeners all day Whidbey Gardening Workshop and marketplace on Saturday, March 21. We shared bird and habitat insights with the gardeners who came through, and also shared the space with Pacific Rim Institute. We really fit nicely there together.

Currently, there are no Motus antennas on Whidbey Island. The antenna will be able to detect tagged birds that use Crockett Lake and Admiralty Inlet as they migrate through Island County. The information gained will allow scientists and researchers further insight into migratory patterns and may provide the basis for future local conservation efforts. 

Whidbey Audubon Society (WAS) encourages everyone’s help in raising funds for the scholarship fund and the general fund of WAS. This is a major fundraiser for WAS and the only fundraiser for the scholarship fund. But secretly it is just a great excuse to bird for a full 24 hours for your heart’s delight either with others or on your own.

All teams will need to register in the month of April.

Mussel Watch is a biennial survey of ~85 locations throughout Puget Sound for chemical contaminants. The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW) established Mussel Watch in 2012 and it continues to operate the program. For the first time, Deer Lagoon became a monitoring site for the 2025﹘26 survey!

Ellen Nelson, At-Large WAS Board Member and Liaison to the Salish Sea Guillemot Network, reports that 2026 Pigeon Guillemot (PG) breeding survey season is beginning and shares how you can get involved. Also, a new book about PGs is out this month!

“Now that we’ve had that spring tease for a few days there, we’ll recollect these past winter weeks, which began with hot cider and goodies at Freeland Park back on Christmas Day! A surprising turnout of birders and birds—up in the park and along the shore that morning we saw and/or heard over 30 species.

Since then, from the East and West dikes at Deer Lagoon we’ve observed the season and tides turn….” Read about the species spotted in Cathi Bower’s report.

“On January 19, uncharacteristically flat water and clear skies brought fewer birds than normal to the Keystone Harbor with seven humans and only a few Glaucous-winged hybridgulls attending the sit.…On the first day of February, a dozen people came by the Coupeville Wharf small sit…The highlight of the sit for the field trip leader was helping an enthusiastic new birder from the mainland identify their mystery birds they saw from the ferry….”

Trip leader Madrone Ruggerio shares his report.

“We started our field trip at Libbey Beach Park, taking advantage of the high tide that brought seabirds close to shore. The water was choppy, but the birding was great with the morning sun highlighting the seabirds…We moved on to Hastie Lake Park. The tide was pushing waves against the breakwater, but the sun was warm and the wind had settled. The birding was equally good…”

Learn about the species the group spotted in Nancy’s Luenn’s article.

Linda Rhodes, a longtime Greenbank resident who retired from a career as a research microbiologist at NOAA, joined the Audubon board earlier this year. We talked with Linda about her life on Whidbey and work with Audubon.

The Island County Commissioners are placing an advisory vote on the November 2026 general election ballot to “ban consumer fireworks in the unincorporated areas of Island County.”  This would include our two Important Bird Areas: Deer Lagoon Preserve and Crockett Lake. 

Whidbey Audubon has joined a coalition of local citizens, businesses, nonprofits and environmental groups supporting a yes vote on this measure.

South Christmas Bird Count lead Govinda Holtby reports that her group of 32 field observers and 6 feeder watchers spotted 15,071 Individual birds and 109 species in January.